A group of researchers discovers North African ostrich eggs in southern Morocco

Three intact eggs of North African otrish were discovered by a group of researchers near Bir Anzarane, a rural commune in Morocco’s Oued Ed-Dahab province. The discovery relayed three days ago by Maghreb Ornitho, was conducted in May by ‘Nature Initiative’ member Mohammed Fathi.

Found in Tagherzimt, the three eggs were in good condition and were buried in the soil, the same source said. «This is the first time they (researchers) found unbroken ostrich eggs with this quality», the same platform says.

Indeed, North African ostriches used to live in the region between 1940s and 1950s, but they eventually went extinct due to local overexploitation and traditional medicine. «Last breeding records were in the 1960s, and a pair may have bred there as late as early 1970s», Maghreb Ornitho recalls.

Trying to reintroduce the species into its former habitats, a partnership bringing this association together with the Moroccan Forestry Administration allowed the group to bring a number of North African Ostriches to the Safia Acclimatization Reserve.